This invention relates to outboard drive arrangements for watercraft and more particularly to a tile device therefore.
As is well known, watercraft outboard drives, be they outboard motors or the outboard drive portion of a stern drive, normally include a hydraulically operated tile arrangement. This generally comprised a hydraulically operated cylinder pivotally connected to the outboard drive and the watercraft hull. By extending the cylinder, the propulsion unit of the outboard drive can be raised out of the water for servicing or trailering. Frequently these units also include a shock absorbing arrangement to permit the outboard drive to xe2x80x9cpop upxe2x80x9d when an underwater obstacle is encountered and then return when it is cleared. In addition, the tilt cylinder is incorporated in a unit that includes hydraulic trim cylinders that are utilized to adjust the trim angle of the propulsion unit during watercraft operation.
Due to the wide variety of types of outboard drives and types of watercraft that are powered by them, this presents a challenge to the manufacturers of the outboard drives and their customers. In order to keep costs as low as possible the number of different types of such units must be limited. However, the amount of tilt up must be controlled to prevent damage to either or both of the outboard drive and the associated watercraft.
One way this has been done is to employ an internal collar as a stopper for regulating the stroke of the tilt piston. This collar is conventionally attached at the upper limit position of the piston in the cylinder so that a stroke suitable for individual outboard drives or hulls can be obtained. However to accomplish this, the tilt device incorporating must be disassembled to fit a collar in the tilt cylinder. Also if it forms a part of a unit incorporating trim cylinders, the tilt cylinder must first be removed from them.
This disassembly and assembly frequently requires special tools and takes time and effort. Also, there is a possibility of foreign objects, which may cause failure, entering the cylinder during this adjusting operation.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tilt device for an outboard motor in which the stroke of the tilt cylinder can be easily adjusted without disassembling the tilt cylinder or removing it from another assembly.
This invention is adapted to be embodied in a tilt cylinder device for tilting an outboard drive between an underwater, driving position and an out of the water storage position. The tilt cylinder device comprises a cylinder assembly defining a cylinder bore. A piston reciprocates in the cylinder bore and divides it into two fluid chambers. A piston rod is affixed to the piston and extends through one of the fluid chambers and terminates externally of the cylinder assembly. The piston rod and the cylinder assembly each are pivotally connected to a respective one of an outboard drive and a watercraft for effecting the tilting of the outboard drive. A hydraulic circuit controls the operation of the tilt cylinder device. A tilt range control valve is provided for disabling the operation of the hydraulic circuit for selectively limiting the stroke of the piston.